The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-03-10
Sketch for the Boys.


destitute of Il single cloud. and is IL rich, clear
deep blue. From the hotel vcranda we can
look at the mountains which surround the
springs. and will use the hour we have before
breakfast in lookn" at them. Yonlcr. like Il
huge sentinel towers "Electric peak" the high
est point within the Yellowstone Park. That
great cap Of ice. upon which the golden light
of the rising sun shines 50 pleasantly. is nearly
II 900 feet above the ocean. It's name is
doubtless derived from the fact that some sin
gular electric currents We're discovered upon
lis great shoulders by the surveyors, which
sadly disturbed their compass. and rendered it
quite unfit for use. We are also Informed that
when a thunder storm undertakes to pass over
this peak il usually divides above its central
point and passes away on either side.
Directly opposite Electric Peak, on the other
side of the valley or basin in which the Man-
moth springs are located, is Mt. Evarts. named
in memory of the man who many years AGO
was last. and who wandered for nearly six
weeks before he Was found by old Jack Bar
roncttc. who is now one of the most faithful
guides within the Park. Near Mt. Evart> is
Bum>yon'> Peak, which is over $4,000 feet high.
and around the base Of which comes flowing
the Gardiner river. We can easily find enough
to interest lis for Il whole day in looking at one
of these mountains. Their singular formation.
due to volcanic action. presents 50 many
Hnquc featurc>-ilcer canonS. frightfuI picc;-
p;cc>. oNerhangin@ cliffs. frownin@ rampart>,
deep seams, towers. donle>, spires. all inter
mingled in the most luNuriant confusion. but
each one is fashioned in il most complete mar
il"r, and in Il style peculiar to itself.
The valleys between the mountains are
hcautiful III form and historic in their a>>ocia-
tion>. 1t was but a few years ago that the In
diin> We're here. the undiSputed masters of the
situation some of the tiercc>t and most war
like tribes Of the whole western country rode
thr"ugh these valleys and fought desperately
1or their possession Upon this small plain in
front Of The hotel and but few wards from
where we stand Il bloody battle wa, fought iii
l>.1. between the American soldiers and The
Indian warriors under the gallant cll Chief
Jo>cih; but all the" things have passed away.
he railroads and the churches have invaded
the northwest and these two founders of civil
iza'iun have pushed The Indians backward and
have planted farms. ranches villages and cities
all through the territories. The Old order of
things can never he restored. 1t is much bet
ter that they should not he. but one loves to
lingcr for moment or two in the still visible
foot prints of those vanishing forms and re-
fleet upon the bravery. cruelty and desperation
which marked their history.
All. there GOES the breakfast CON. and for
ttnateiy for our readers the mcdit;uon> of the
moment come to an tintmely end. The keen.
clear n!ountain air has given us a goo appetite
for breakfast. which. by the way. is not an nm
usual event in our life. The breakfast itself is
1T 10 set before Il King. 50 there is no reason
why your humble scribe should find any fault
with those >kilful. whle-aprorcd brothers in
black. who with big white, clerical neck ties.
du'ii~h pantaloon> and coats, filed our orders
with the grace Of IA Beau BRUNEI. Breakfast
Is over. and now for the hot springs.
A. We walk over tha intervening space
between the hotel and the springs, we find that
we are not walking upon the solid carth but
upon Il hard cray formation which rings on!
hollow beneath OFF feet. look out for that
biz round hole. That was once a great hot
spring. bat IN some WAY the bottom fcl ont
and naW ii is minus the water. DO You 50.
that communicating mound fifty feet h-h.
circular il it. form. twenty feet in diameter ii
the base: That is the cone OF an Oil "cy>cr
which eN Identity expired many years ago. There
i smaller one of the same form Wonder
which is called the Devils Thumb, while the
larger one bears the more pleasing name Of
i.lheriy> Gap. These are located al the base
OF the terraces occupied lay the Mammoth
springs. There ar. four OF these great ,iu-
ImNiHehi- rising one above the other. Their
Frontage must be thrco-foarib> of a mile. the
height of each from fifty to >cvcntv-tivc fvrt
the depth three hundred feet.
pom tie top Of these terraces we may walk
N safely AMI examine the h"ilir. springs III
our ri>lIc. We find that they ar, all circular
IN formation. shaped much like great bowls
and lil'"d with the ,l.ar~t and most sparkling
water We ever >aw. We can >cc almost any
Kind Of spring ihat our fancy may desire.
Here i one iinN fellow. four inches in Diane
Ter iiitiu. away for all That hc i worth. and
"nd'aN orln. to attract = much attention a>
IN NOR Gigantic n,ighhor. We 'an but adj
nIlrc hI> ambition and encourage him lN say
in-. Boil away little fellow and make all the
fIi>> you possibly can.
Tn ilr@,> i spring We SAW i'll the group WAS
~ i,rt IN diameter. The formation. Il result
If evaporation. is solid and serves IL, il side
walk. upon which We can stand in safety at the
"'i-c Of Il gigantic spring and peer with fright
ened Vision down 300 feet into the boiling
depths Of the great caIdron. Dense clouds
II steam rise from these terraces and lin"er
lik" white canopy hundreds of feet above
them. In some places the front of the terraces
has been beautifully colorcl and tinted with
The substances deposited from the water which
r"ur- down from the springs, forming very
large stream of >tcamnm water. which finds its
wa, to the Gardiner river.
iu many places the terraces have been brok-
IN aud cracked by elements beneath; the crev-
ICES ar" filed with hot, kissing steam: put
your ear down TO the surface of the formation
Hear these cracks and far down beneath you
can hear the rushing. boiling waters. On the
upper terrace there is the finest bathn" tub
on the continent. 1t is about 40 rods long and
20 rods wide. 1t is supplied with water. hot
and cold, 50 that the contents of the tub at one
end are icy cold and at the other boiling hot:
between these extremes are all the various
grades of temperature. Nature has liked
things up here. regardless of cost.
Our days rambe among these springs, the
looking upon all these wonders. well repay
us for the expense of the journey to reach
them and wearied with our DAYS work we
return to the hotel, and after tea stroll
out on the veranda. Let us listen to the
stories being told by that little group of cow
boys and trapper>. They are amusing them
selves in the attempt to excel each other in
spinning big warns. ilark. one old fellow is
saying, you don't know anything about hot
weather up here in Montany; why | tlrv
stage coach down in Arizony once and one
day il was most awfuliy hot. and when TUX
the straps oil of the mules that night | found
that the brass buckles of the gear had ali melt
ed
There was Il moments silence during which
the tobacco smoke rose in thin wrcath> around
the speakers. Then another began: Il drove
stage across the plains down in Nebraska and
Kansas during the gras>hoppcr famine. and
never saw such sights before or since: why.
they We're so big and got SO bold that very Of
ten Il big one would mop up on the seat beside
me and try to take the reins out of my hands;
fact. boys. as true as you live
There was longer silence following that
story, but it was soon broken by tall. solemn
looking man in Il buckskin suit ''Soon after
the war | was up in the country between the
Platte and the Yellowstone. The Indians We're
thicker than ever mosquitoes We're in Jersey.
One day l was tramping through the timber
and came to Il place where the trees were all
turned to >tone-petriiied, | think they call it,
bushes and all were stone. As stood looking
J saw what had been a big buffalo; he had
been runnin" down through the timber and
there he was turned to solid stone. | went
down to look at him. and there ! saw what
had once been big piece of dirt or turf that
had been thrown up by his feet as he jumped
and that dirt had turned to stone and was up in
the air about four feet from the ground
"Don't believe no such yarns" growled his
neighbor, 'for as | understand natural law
gravity would have made the stone fall to the
ground"
'Don't claim to know how it was," replied
the other, II was only telling what saw. The
only way | could satisfy myself about it was
to suppose that gravity petrifed when the dirt
did
soon another spoke AS follows: IL had an
adventure up in Idaho two years ago. was
out on the ranch and didn't have time to reach
up in my blanket and went to sleep. When
awoke ! found that some rascally Injun had
stole my pony, bride, saddle and all. 'Twan'
no use to cry over split milk, SO l twisted a
grass rope and started out, hoping that might
find Il stray mule that could ride into camp.
tramped about three miles and come to a
gulch whar there was water, and there | saw Il
big mule deer drinking. | had no shooting
gear so threw one end of grass rope and got
a good turn around the deer's hind leg When
he felt the rope draw tight he went 80 feet at
the first jump, and went like streak over
the plain. | didn't dare to draw too tight on
the rope for fear it would break, aud | was